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Public Lands Day: Making the Most of Your Fee-Free Day

With Public Lands Day scheduled for Sept 25, now's the time to start thinking about volunteering at your favorite unit of the National Park System. NPS photo.

How do you make a fee-free day to a national park even better? By allowing visitors to not only volunteer, but also earn another fee-free coupon. If you think this sounds like a great idea, then come out to volunteer on September 25, National Public Lands Day!

National Public Lands Day is a fee-free day at national parks, allowing visitors to explore the parks, take advantage of recreational activities, and learn about the cultural and natural history of America at no or little cost. Additionally, visitors can also take part in providing essential volunteer services to maintain and improve these cherished lands.

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest one-day volunteer event for public lands. Around the country, more than 170,000 people are expected to volunteer to build trails, clear trash, plant trees, and restore historic sites. By utilizing the fee-free day, visitors can begin their day by volunteering with a park ranger or other lands manager and then spend the afternoon enjoying the wonders of their public lands.

Anyone who volunteers in a national park (or many other federally owned public lands) will receive a fee-free coupon after they complete their service. The coupon is good for a full year and can be used at any participating federal land, including units of the National Park System.

Families, friends or scout troops that volunteer together can utilize the fee-free coupons to plan another low-cost outing to a national park. The coupon can even be used the next day to make the whole weekend fee-free.

To find out more about National Public Lands Day and the volunteer events occurring at national parks near you, visit, www.publiclandsday.org.